Page 43 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

The bastard is upping his game. Knocking me around is one thing, but it seems he isn’t holding back anymore.

Thick rivers of blood ooze down my head and face, joining the gash on my lip as I wait for my ability to kick in.

“Having fun?” King appears as if he was there the whole time. His expression is composed yet detached. His appearance neither soothes nor eases any nerves from Balor’s now halted attack, knowing a bigger monster will now take his place.

King is always more thorough with his torment.

Balor blanches spotting him, swiftly taking a step back from me. “Sir, I was just—”

“Leave.”

Balor bows, avoiding eye contact. Giving King a wide birth, he leaves the room like the place is on fire.

King takes off his navy suit jacket, folding it and placing it on the back of his chair. Rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt, he moves over to me. Standing above me, he looks down at me like I’m filth.

Silence grows around us as his stony stare drills through me, waiting for my ability to finish up.

“I have a more potent blocker cooked up for you. One that should last much longer.”

Pulling out the small green vial, he throws it at me.

“Drink it. All of it.” His tone leaves no question for objection. I know all too well what King will do if I don’t obey his commands and pushing the fragile boundary I had was not the smart thing to do right now. Not when I was so close to getting out of here with Alana.

My injuries all healed, I stand up and loosen the lid. Knocking it back, I let the vile concoction work its way down my throat, coating it like thick slime. Wincing at the horrible aftertaste, I glance down at the small bottle, wondering how long it will take this new batch to kick in.

Pain explodes in my head as I hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of me.

“Fuck!”

I try to catch my breath as my lungs burn with each inhale.

“Speak again, and I’ll cut out your tongue.” King’s voice is cool and detached, a testament to his nature. He doesn’t care about anything unless he has something to gain from it. I doubt there’s a beating heart in his chest, instead in its place, a malignant chunk of meat that keeps the fucker alive.

No one knows what King is, just that he’s powerful beyond measure. His power is dark, an entity of its own, and nothing like the warlocks and demons I’ve come across.

A soulless creature that destroys anything in his path.

My vision dims and tilts as I stand up on shaky legs, knowing it’s best not to look weak. He’ll just drag this on longer if I do.

Dark blades appear from nowhere, surrounding me. A blaze of fire carves up my skin, slicing through it like paper as they attack. I grit my teeth against the fiery pain, dropping to the ground.

Fuck, that hurts.

Heal, I beg my ability, but nothing happens. King’s green vile does what he wants, blocking my ability from working.

I try to catch a steady breath, but before I get the chance, my head is pulled up and slammed down against the ground. Hard.

A sharp pain jolts across my face, making my vision blur.

“Better, this one will do.”

He created a block that worked. I was fucked.

Pushing up, I get half-way before another bolt hits me.

I whimper, stumbling forward, landing on my hands and knees.

Silence echoes around me, realising my mistake. Something large from behind grabs hold of my hair, pulling it tight. Unable to reach out and stop them, my arms hang limply beside me, no longer obeying my command.

---